All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
There are several common cartilage malformations that patients suffer from that require tissue reconstruction and/or shaping cartilage. For example, in the head and neck, a patient could suffer from nasal tip deformity, or a deviated septum, or a protuberant ear, or for example, stenotic trachea. All of the aforementioned conditions could possibly require changing the shape of cartilage tissue of the patient as a form of treatment of the condition. However, changing the shape of tissue such as cartilage is conventionally accomplished using surgical methods that involve sutures, scalpels, incisions, and generally speaking, very invasive methods. Conventional surgical methods of reshaping tissue could require open surgery, resulting in possibly substantial tissue damage, as well as a high financial cost as well. Thus, alternative methods are needed, and there is a need in the art for novel treatments and effective methods of shaping tissue.